Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-02
The CIRCUS BLACKS.
lCharlotte Adams in the Epoch.

lCharlotte Adams in the Epoch.
The first time 1 saw Pussy Black
she was tobogganing in a buffers tray
down the golden stairs of the Man.
sion House at San Francisco. AS to-
bogganing was not at that time fash
ionable pastime in the States, I con-
cluded that Miss Pussy had evolved
this novel amusement from the depths
of her own mischievous consciousness.
Being sad and promiscuous flirt even
at the age of ten, she had doubtless
done the DeIilah act by the head
waiter in order to obtain possession of
the buffers tray.
However this may have b,en, her
tobogganing was scarcely sue cess.
She bumped, bumped, bumed. down
half %. dozen stairs with delighted
grin on her small countenance. Then
alas! yell and shrek, vision of
long red legs and flying yellow hair,
a rapidly descending confusion OF
youthful anatomy-andan another bump.
This time it was Pussy's head that
came in contact with the hard floor at
the foot of the stairs.
l asked the youngster where she
was hurt as she lay back in my arms
with closed eyes, and she touched one
dimpled hand to her forehead. The
chambermaid brought water and /
bathed the poor forehead, and then I
kissed it again, because / somehow
thought that Miss Pussy liked being
kissed by a grown-up moustache. |
kissed her the third time because |
rather liked the performance myself.
A coquettish smile appeared on
Pussy's rosy mouth and my vanity
took alarm. 1 felt that the little flirt
was deliberately leading me on. /
turned the injured innocent over to
the tender mercies of the chamber
maid and sailed forth to keep busi-
ness appointment connected with the
mining interest that had brought me
to California. DE-.
A few DAYS later was at a party
given to celebrate the birthday of a
little girl who was the only daughter
of one of the richest mining men in
San Francisco. 1t was good old
fashioned American party, where old
and young mingled in the Virginia
reel and round the festive bowl-of
lemonade. l came across a very
agreeable womanof handsome middle
presence, who knew her California
like book and told me who all the
queer people were. Sure of her own
pedigree, which was of the best South
Carolina brand, she could afford to be
cynical on the subject of Pacific coast
ancestry. She watched the new ar
rivals through an imposing tortoise
shell eyeglass and checked them off
one by one for my benefit in vein Of
gentle sarcasm.
"Aha! Here comes the circus
Blacks" says Mrs. Penderlip, calling
my attention to group proceeding
toward us from the door. What su-
perb diamonds Mrs. Black wears!
And Just to think that her mother
used to drive market wagon into San
Francisco every morning with a pipe
in her mouth and her head tied up in
a red handkerchief. I've bought many
a caulifower of her myself"
"Why do you call them the Circus
Blacks?" 1 asked.
Everybody knows them by that
Municipality, I suppose, because they
act and dress as if they belonged to a
circus, and 1 have heard a legend to
the effect that Mrs. Black once trav-
eled with a circus. Black first saw her
when she was performing her great
bareback feat on a couple of wild
steeds of the prairies at Sacramento
CITY. where he kept a tailor's shop.
He cot into mines after he was mar
ried, and that's how he made his
money"
At this moment the circus Blacks
swept by us in solemn and stately pro-
cession. There really was something
about them that suggested the "grand
entree" of a well regulated circus COM
pany opening the performance, the
crack OF the ring masters whip being
represented by the sarcastic click OF
Mrs. Penderlip's eyeglass.
Mr.. Black was short stout man
with stubby beard. His bald spot
lust came up to Mrs. Blacks magnifi-
cent diamond lecklace. Mrs. Black
was unquestionably fine figure OF q
woman. Plump, black haired, rosy
checked, in her yellow satin train al
most covered with point lace. and,
with the upper portion Of her vigorous
frame dressed chiefly in diamonds,
she looked like the very goddess OF
bullion.
Behind Mr.. and Mrs. Black walked
two little girls. One was about four.
teen, dark, plain and scowling, dressed
in pea-green silk, with her hair in
pigtails and a horrible red coral neck
lace reposing on her collar-bone like
The Younger girl was blonde, smiling
and coouettish. The real Valencien'
mes petticoat arrangement which she
wore over light blue silk slip stopped
abort above her knees. Her inlantile
and very bare bosom sustained sew
eral rows of costly pearls, and in hel
ears she had large single diamonds